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Graduates at Work

Here’s what some of our alumni from the MAT program are up to now. If you would like to contact an alumnus directly to ask them questions about the program, please contact Matt Livingston in admissions. 888-258-5665 x209.

Karen Trenosky '13

"My life has changed as a result of the courses I have taken at Marlboro and my Capstone project. Near the end of my studies my principal (an MAT alum himself) agreed to hire me as the technology integrator for Brattleboro Union High School, where I had been an art and media teacher. When I initially began graduate school I wanted to pursue to my master's degree to go up in the salary pay scale. After a year and a half, it has become so much more than that. I leave Marlboro with new and innovative models for teaching students and colleagues. I feel I have a better understanding of how to teach online and my educational and instructional design has improved by leaps and bounds. The master's degree at Marlboro opened many doors for me. I feel I leave school as a technology innovator and better teacher."

Alan Silverman, MAT '12

"When I was a graduate student at Marlboro College, SunSetter Products recruited me for a very unique position as a Technical Support Specialist. My Capstone project was to train independent Sunsetter dealers to use a custom online ordering system. I had to become the expert at installing and repairing all SunSetter products, writing about them, and developing training programs for the people who use them. I use many of the lessons learned at Marlboro on a daily basis in my work. In 2012 I became an adjunct faculty person at Southern New Hampshire University, where I created and began teaching an online course called "Introduction to GIS."

Lisa Whalen, MSIT/MAT '12

"While I thought I was getting my master's in order to teach, I ended up going down a very different path, something I never would have found had I not come to Marlboro. So, what am I doing now? My day job keeps me quite busy as the only eLearning Specialist for a company of 10,000+ employees, and I love it. Every day I am working on something creative and finding new ways to make digital learning fun and interactive. My part time job as owner of On My Own Reading keeps me busy during the evenings and weekends as I work to get a learn-to-read system I created to the market. This system was a product of my Capstone, and was started in my very first class, Human Computer Interaction, which changed the way I look at things forever. The great thing about this is that my daughters have also been creatively involved throughout the whole process. Learning is something I do every day, it never ends. Going to Marlboro opened my eyes, and it also opened more doors than I realized possible."

Emily Wargo, MAT ‘11

"Soon after graduating from Marlboro’s MAT program, I was hired by Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, as an e-learning course producer. A year later, I was promoted to the position of instructional technologist at Champlain and in 2014 became a senior instructional designer. I play a vital role in helping faculty use technology and best practices to design courses and enhance student learning. My Marlboro education and experience were invaluable in obtaining my job. At Marlboro, I found knowledgeable and passionate teachers who were able to pass on their learning and excitement about educational technology to me. I am now able to spread that technology enthusiasm to the dedicated faculty I work with!"

Will Bohmann MAT, MSIT ‘11

"I was hired at the Center for Technology before I graduated. The center's curriculum is primarily project based, so there is a lot of room to incorporate technology skills and standards into the classroom. Developing a benchmark of technology skills is so important as these teachers are guiding students into a technology-filled marketplace. This year I have been focusing on professional development for the staff on topics from file management and media to digital research and Moodle. I am also active with Vita-Learn North West, run workshops in Moodle for the district, and do some web consulting on the side. I’m so grateful for the skills and education I received at Marlboro."

James Nye, MAT & MSIT '11. BSMIS '10

“I’ve always looked at teachers and thought, ‘Why are they using technology here? Why are they trying to force it when it doesn’t fit?.' The MAT program helped me answer the questions of when to use technology and when not to, and how to evaluate them from a pedagogical standpoint. Finding out how they use technology, and coming from my place of always using technology, I was able to work with my employer to understand how IT could be used properly both in the educational environment and in my corporate environment. I used the concepts that I learned in the MAT program and the MSIT program to reevaluate the current software, and build a new knowledge database. The MAT program is not just for educators."

Drew Blanchard MAT ’10

“The MAT program at Marlboro helped me move on to the next phase of my professional career as the new technology teacher for the Winooski, Vermont, school district. I was hired in my new position before I graduated. For several years I’d been looking for a program that would allow me to combine my love of teaching with my passion for technology. I’ve found the courses and content of the MAT program to be directly applicable to my own goals, and the learning network that has been created here helps me personally and professionally. My work in the MAT program allowed me to fill a need in my own school district, where I've become a resource for our faculty and staff while still working directly with students. I rediscovered my own love of learning and feel rejuvenated in many ways.”

"I get all my work because of the skills I learned at Marlboro. As an independent web designer I find that my MAT sets me apart because I can also effectively teach my clients how to use their sites and develop materials that help train them maintain their sites. I find I also have an edge getting contracts at educationally oriented organizations."

Elizabeth McCarthy MAT ’08

“I had been on the fence about whether to pursue a degree in creative writing or technology. As it turns out, the teaching with technology program at Marlboro did engage my creative side in a way I had not expected. Another reason I chose the graduate school was its reputation within the educational community. I had looked at other programs but none of them focused on teaching with technology like Marlboro. As part of my work at Bradford elementary, I created a web portal for parents to see what's happening at school as well as a central resource for students and teachers.”

Karen Case MAT '07

Part-time Faculty Vermont State College System and Marlboro College MAT Program

"My Marlboro program allowed me to re-invent myself. It was a very challenging year to work and go to school at the same time. The grad school experience took me out of my comfort zone many, many times, but was exciting at the same time. I learned new and cutting edge technologies at every step of the way. I also liked meeting friends I will have for life. The program was flexible and offered a constructivist approach to learning. In other words, I applied everything I learned in some way, shape, or form." Karen's capstone was to help the Community College of Vermont (CCV) increase awareness of online education. After her capstone defense she was hired to coordinate CCV’s online art and computer course offerings. In 2013 she landed her dream job as an instructional designer working in Library and Information Services at the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

Meaghan Meachem MAT ’07

“What I loved the most about Marlboro was that it allowed me to take the MAT program and focus it on the skills I needed to get to where I wanted to go—which ultimately was to be in a college setting. I loved how open-minded everyone was to what I was trying to accomplish for myself. I never once heard a ‘no you can’t do that here.’ Marlboro has given me so much to bring to my job today—without it, I really don’t think I would be nearly prepared enough to teach in a college setting.”

Amy Stevens MAT '06

"My division is responsible for developing and maintaining all our online courses. Since joining SNHU, I’ve played leadership roles in our LMS migration project, participated in the transition to a new bookstore (saving students millions of dollars a year), and spearheaded a bold and aggressive plan to introduce third-party learning resources into the curriculum to drive down costs and improve student learning outcomes. In addition, I am a member of the Academic Strategic Leadership group that guides the online college’s academic mission. There are days when I am amazed that I am in this roll and know I couldn’t have gotten here without Marlboro."

Annesa Hartman MAT ’02

Instructor at Modesto Junior College in California and the Community College of Vermont.

“In 2000, while I was doing a lot of freelance graphic work and teaching, I thought it might be a good idea to get a master's in the field, so I started looking for a graduate program that integrated technology and teaching. To my delight the perfect program was right in my own backyard of lovely Vermont – the MAT program at Marlboro. I met so many wonderful, talented people through the program and stay in contact with most of them today. In fact, my current job at Kaplan University was through an association with Will deBock (ISM '98) that started with some freelance work during my Marlboro studies and then by 2009 into a full time position. Even 10 years after I graduated, the opportunities that still come my via my association with Marlboro never cease to amaze.”

Kevin Bell MAT ’00

"I am amazed at how the MAT program provided such a solid framework for my subsequent work in the field of ed–tech and academia. The curriculum equipped me with the tools to stay on top of developments in the field while the Marlborofaculty provided a focus on analysis of technologies, principles and pedagogy that has benefitted me in my career to this day. I was hired by a Boston dot.com start up two weeks prior to my graduation and have moved on to increasingly senior academic roles, ending with my current position at Northeastern, which I am combining with my doctoral studies (Ed.D) at the University of Pennsylvania. At many institutions throughout the north-east and farther afield, I see my former classmates and peers holding positions of influence and seniority."

Jenny Darrow MAT ’00

"Marlboro was innovative, it was quick, and it was an absolutely wonderful experience. Now I manage a small group at CELT that supports faculty teaching and student learning. Our job is getting people comfortable with technology, understanding why they should be using technology. Edtech is balancing the technical piece and the pedagogical piece, understanding technology and where technology is heading, but instructional design and pedagogy—I think that is absolutely critical. I don’t think I’d be where I am now without Marlboro College. It may sound cliché, but Marlboro will support your big ideas and encourage you to take risks. The blended learning model allowed me to work when I was ready to work, and the work we did as a cohort, the bonding we did and the learning from each other were all incredible.”